I have my frames done, and have all the OC 705 on hand. The OC is itching to jump into the frames :p

I'm stuck on how to finish these. I have 12 panels total. Six wil be mounted directly to the wall, the other six will be floating away from the wall.

I plan to do them in all black. Since these are DIY I'm obviously trying to save money. Some questions:

1. What is the best fabric to wrap these in, looking for good performance/cost ratio. GOM @ $14.99 yard? How much do I need (sq/linear yrd?)

2. For the panels that will be mounted directly to the wall can I use a "cheaper" fabric on the back side?

Some pictures:
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/505/frame1sd3.jpg
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/204/frame2tv7.jpg
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/6645/frame3oo2.jpg

Cost so far:
12x O.C. 705 2'x4'x2" - $319.80 (ugh shipping + eBay :eek:)
All lumber - $58.05

Total - $377.85

You can use any breathable fabric. Speaker cloth works perfectly, what could be more transparent acoustically? It runs about $5/yard. The only reason to pay more is if you want something nicer looking.

For the back you really don't need fabric at all. If you want to cover it, you can use many things, cheap fabric, thin batting, even cardboard.

Regarding the speaker cloth for covering the panels, I've read this isn't recommended. This is a direct quote from Jon Risch's web site on DIY panels found here:

http://www.geocities.com/jonrisch/a1.htm

"But when I tried to find a suitable covering, then I ran into problems!
It seems most all fabrics are woven way too tight to allow the sound to
readily pass through to the fiberglass! Even some velour that was being
sold as "sound absorbent covering" had a large amount of reflectance
at high and middle frequencies. It is not just a matter of allowing the
sound waves through the cloth and into the fiberglass, but how much
of the sound reflects off the surface of the cloth, and back into the room.
At middle to high frequencies, many cloths have a fair amount of
reflectance, even some speaker grille cloth's.."

He also has some good advice on where to find the best fabrics at good prices. :cool:

What is the best fabric to wrap these in, looking for good performance/cost ratio. GOM @ $14.99 yard? How much do I need (sq/linear yrd?)


Use the black GOM. it comes 66 inches wide. So measure your panels and you can figure out how many yards you need. The basic FR701 is not directional so you can pretty much turn it any direction.

I took McCalls advice and wrapped mine in stretch velvet. It's AT and looks really nice hanging on the wall.